A car passes by branches fallen on a road in Fort-de-France, in the French
Caribbean island of Martinique after Hurricane Dean. AFP PHOTO

People inspect a damaged roof in Fort-de-France, Martinique, after Hurricane
Dean. AFP PHOTO

Videograb taken 17 August 2007 in the French Carribean island of Martinique
shows outside conditions during Hurricane Dean. AFP PHOTO

MIAMI, USA: Hurricane Dean intensified to a category three hurricane Friday with winds reaching 125 miles per hour, US weather watchers said, causing devastating flooding in Martinique and other Caribbean islands.

The massive storm plowed through the eastern Caribbean on a direct course for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after battering the Lesser Antilles before dawn Friday with heavy rains and winds gusting over 105 miles per hour, according to reports from Martinique.

In Martinique, the hurricane caused widespread flooding early Friday in the southern part of the island, with the town of Riviere-Pilote completely under water: "This is real devastation," a local official said by telephone.

Violent winds tore the roofs off the local fire and police stations and numerous other buildings, the official said.

One third of Martinique's population, some 115,000 people, have been left without electricity by the storm, said the administrator of this French territory, Laurent Bigot.

"We will carry out an aerial reconnaissance (of the stricken area) as soon as possible," he added.

An elderly man died of a heart attack during the storm and six people were injured. The hurricane destroyed all the banana plantations, which employ 10,000 of Martinique's 400,000 residents, and wiped out 70 percent of the sugarcane farms, said Christian Estrosi, France's secretary of state for overseas territories.

"In economic terms the damage is large and even dramatic," said Estrosi, who planned to travel to Martinique on Saturday to announce emergency aid measures.

"We will not leave anybody on the side of the road," he said.

On Friday afternoon, the storm was moving west at 22 miles per hour and was expected to cross Jamaica Sunday.

The prime minister of Jamaica was holding an emergency meeting of the disaster preparedness committee Friday to prepare for the hurricane, which could disrupt general elections scheduled for August 27.

(With reporting from AFP and Reuters)